Red Sox trade for Nathan Eovaldi

While most of the recent trade speculation regarding the Red Sox focused on the club’s pursuit of a reliever, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski instead fortified his starting rotation by acquiring righty Nathan Eovaldi from the Rays on Wednesday.

To get the hard-throwing Eovaldi, the Sox parted with Minor League lefty starter Jalen Beeks, who was the team’s No. 15 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

While most of the recent trade speculation regarding the Red Sox focused on the club’s pursuit of a reliever, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski instead fortified his starting rotation by acquiring righty Nathan Eovaldi from the Rays on Wednesday.

To get the hard-throwing Eovaldi, the Sox parted with Minor League lefty starter Jalen Beeks, who was the team’s No. 15 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

The acquisition of Eovaldi comes at a time when rotation members Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright are both on the disabled list and not expected back soon. Drew Pomeranz (1-4, 6.91 ERA) returned from his latest DL stint on Tuesday, but again struggled in a loss to the Orioles.

Dombrowski, who is known for being aggressive this time of year, will likely put his focus on finding a reliever between now and Tuesday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline. The Yankees got standout lefty Zach Britton from the Orioles on Tuesday and the Indians snagged Brad Hand from the Padres last week. The Red Sox hold an MLB-best record 71-32 record and lead the Yankees by five games in the American League East.

With the addition of Eovaldi, either Brian Johnson or Pomeranz will likely come out of the rotation. Johnson has been a swingman this season, and 21 of his 26 appearances have been as a reliever. Eovaldi is 3-4 with a 4.26 ERA in 10 starts this season, holding opponents to a .225 average. In 57 innings, he has eight walks and 53 strikeouts.

In Eovaldi, the Red Sox get a pitcher who has a fastball in the upper 90s. The 28-year-old missed all of 2017 after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery.

The Rays signed Eovaldi in February 2017 to one-year deal for $2 million that included a club option for this year at the same base salary with incentives that can bring it up to $3.5 million.

Eovaldi started the season on the DL, but he made a spectacular return to action on May 30, firing six no-hit innings against the Athletics before being removed due to pitch count.

The trade occurred just hours before Eovaldi was supposed to start against the Yankees in a matinee at Tropicana Field.

This means the right-hander could debut soon for the Red Sox. Eovaldi has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts.

The Red Sox selected Beeks in the 12th round of the 2014 Draft. Beeks holds a 2.89 ERA over 16 starts and 87 innings for Triple-A Pawtucket this year.

In a spot start, Beeks made his MLB debut for the Red Sox on June 7, taking a loss to the Tigers. He also pitched in relief for Boston on July 10, giving up four hits and three runs over 2 1/3 innings on July 10.

Originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2008 Draft, Eovaldi was traded to the Marlins in 2012. After giving up a career-high 223 hits in 2014, Eovaldi was part of a five-player trade to the Yankees.

In four career starts at Fenway Park, Eovaldi is 2-0 with a 5.60 ERA.